Tin plate sorting apparatus



March 26, 1940'. A. L. KRONQUEST TIN PLATE SORTING QPPARATUS I5 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 7, 1937 Nmw Stream/go March .9. 0- A. L. KRUNQUEST TIN PLATE SQRTING' APPARATUS Filed Sept. 7,' 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 1% zifrangzzesi v March 1940- A. 1.; KRONQUEST 2, 95,176

, TIN'PLATE SORTING APPARATUS I F iled Sept. 7, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Patented Mar. 26,1940 I UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE- 2,195,170 m PLATE son'rme APPARATUS Alfred L. Kronquest, Syracuse, N. Y., assignor to Continental Can Company, Inc., New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application September 7, 1937, Serial No. 162,823

3 Claims. (01. 209-88) The invention relates generally to sheet or plate Figure 7 is a vertical longitudinal section illusfeedingmeans and has for an object to provide trating a-modified form of sheet or plate gaugnovel apparatus for detecting and rejecting sheets ing device. or plates of improper thicknesses, thus sorting Figure 8 is a plan view of the gauging device the units being fed or separating from the units shown in Figure 7.

of proper thickness those which are of improper Figure 9 is a detail face view of the sheet or thicknesses. plate engaging rollers shown in Figure 7.

Incan making or similar industries, it is de- In the drawings in which like reference charsirable that-the tin sheets fed to the various acters indicate like parts in all of the figures, 10 machine unit should be of uniform thickness. A designates a tin sheet or plate gauging and 10 When sheets of improper thickness are employed ejection controlling unit, B an ejecting unit, and in manufactures of this type they form inferior C a bed over which the sheets or plates are fed products or cause breakage of machine parts. for having operations performed thereon, or "for The invention resides in the provision of novel simple sorting purposes. l5 sheet gauging means engaged by,thetin sheets The unit A comprises a lower support frame 16 as they are fed for detecting whether the sheets head 5 to which the bed plate may be secured, are of greater than proper thicknesses, and sheet as at 6, and which has a pair of guide grooveways rejecting or sorting means controlled by the gaug- 1 formed therein and arranged vertically in paraling means. lel, spaced relation. Each grooveway accommo- 20 Another object of the invention is to provide dates a bracket bearing member 8 carrying a tin 20 a novel apparatus of the character. stated in -sheet or plate supporting roller 9 supported on which is provided novel means for engaging the a stud I0. It will be observed by reference to fed sheets at both edges and in a manner prevent- Figures 3 and 5 that these rollers are offset ing false actuation of the sheet rejecting devices one from the other in the direction of movement g5 because of localized faults such as list edges, or of the sheets or plates thereover, or in other edge creases or dents, as distinguished from body words one said roller is positioned in advance of thickness. the other.

Another object of the invention is to provide The brackets 8 are vertically adjustable and are novel means for multiplying the movement of slotted as at II to receive securing screws I2.

gauge parts effected by actual sheet or plate-en- Each bracket also includes a vertically disposed 30 gagement so as to eifect a more certain and posithreaded bore I3 in which a micrometer screw tive control of the rejecting or sorting devices. I 4 operates. The screws are held captive in a With the above and other objects in view that bearing plate l5 secured, as at 16, to the head 5, will hereinafter appear, the invention further reand the plate is provided with indicator marks I! v sides in the novel details of construction, comand the screw head with suitable gauge scale 35 bination and arrangement of parts first fully deequipment l8. By manipulation of the screws scribed in the following detailed description, then It the positions of the rollers 9 in the bed opening particularly pointed out in the appended claims, l9 can be varied. See Figures 3 and 4;. reference being had to the accompanying draw- At a point above the lower head -5 an upper 40 ings, in which: suppo'r't frame head 20 isimoun'ted. A support- 40 Figure 1 is a somewhat diagrammatic vertical ing bracket member 2| is secured as at 22 upon longitudinal section illustrating one form of sheet the head 20 and includes a head portion 23 at or plate gauging and sorting apparatus. I each side of which a micro switch unit 24 is Figure 2 is a diagrammatic plan view illustratsecured as at 25. These micro switch units are 5 ing the control circuit connections between the so called because. the movable 'contacts therein sheet gauging and sheet ejecting devices. move only .002 of an inch in making and break- Figure 3 is an enlarged detail side elevation of ing contact. Since these switches are well known, the sheet gauging and ejecting device controlling and disclosed in detail in the patent to -P.- K.

means. McGall, 1,960,020, of May 22, 1934,further de- Figure 4 is a face view of the parts shown in tailed description thereof is thought to be un- 50 Figure 3. necessary.

Figure 5 is a plan view of the parts shown in The bracket member II also includes a foot Figure 3. portion 26 and a pair of laterally projected ears Figure 6 is a horizontal section taken on the 21. An L-shaped lever 28 is disposed at each 5 line 6-5 on Figure 4. side of the bracket member, as shown in Figures apron 4 and 5 of the drawings, and it will be noted that the base of each L is very short, and the upright very long, so that movement imparted to the base arms will be compounded many'times at the'upper end of the upright arms. At the juncture of the base and upright arms, each lever carries a roller 29 and each base arm is pivoted at its free end to the foot portion 25 on a horizontally disposed pivot pin 30 as shown in Figures 3, 4, 5 and 6. The pivot pins are offset or staggeredas shown in Figure 6 so that each of the rollers 29 is centered over one of the lower rollers 9 previously referred to.

A stop screw 3| is adjustably mounted in each bracket ear 21, and each lever 28 is yieldably held against one of the screws by a spring 32 socketed in the respective lever, and in a receiving socket in a lug 33 formed on the bracket in opposition to 'said lever. The springs may be adjusted to increase or diminish the energy stored therein by screw plugs 34. At its upper free end each lever 28 carries a spring pressed contact pin 35 engageable with the movable contact actuating pin 36 of the respective micro switch 24.

The sheet or plate ejecting unit B shown in Figure 1 is but one example of means which may be controlled by the gauge and control unit for sorting sheets or plates, or rejecting units of improper thickness. The unit shown includes a frame 31 supported in the bed .0, an ejector 38 pivoted at 39 on the frame and connected by a crank lever 40 with the core piece of a solenoid 4|. The receiving end of the apron 38 normally is above the bed opening 42 and does not interfere with passage of the tin sheets or plates, butwhenever the solenoid is energized by operation of the control unit the apron dips into the opening 42 and intercepts the unit of improper thickness and directs it into the receiving chute 43 from whence it is delivered by feed rolls 44 onto a'receiving table or conveyor 45.

In Figure 2 of the drawings I have diagram-q matically illustrated one manner of electrically connecting the controlling and ejecting units A and B. The micro switches 24 are connected inseries, by suitable circuit wiring 48, with a power source 41 and the solenoid 4|. With the switches thus connected, the solenoid will not be energized, and the ejector unit B will not be caused to junction unless both switches 24 are closed simultaneously. The purpose of this manner. of. electrically connecting the switches, and the offsetting or staggering of the gauging rollers 9 and 29, is to assure against the ejection of sheets or plates which are not actually of improper thickness but .merely embody localized faults, such as list edges, edge creases, or dents. It will be obvious that by offsetting the rollers, an imperfection encountered and quickly passed over at one..edge only of the sheet or plate will 7 "actuate one switch only, and this will-not suffice the thickness of J 'justment of the screws 14 a certain tolerance is "to complete the solenoid control circuit as hereinbefore explained. The micro switches 24 are of the normally open or circuit broken type and the series circuit through them can be completed only by pressing inwardly both switch pins 36 simultaneously.

The tin sheets or plates are designated 8. It will beobvious that each sheet or plate fed between the roller sets 9 and 29 will'= separate Lie opposed rollers to an extent equivalent to said sheet'or plate. By addetermined and every unit of excess thickness will impart suiiicient movement to the levers 23 cylinder 54 pistons 59 and beam of light stem 64 and is pivotally supported by the cylinder cover 51.

or plate sorting, a pile of sheets will be fed through the apparatus and all units of greater than proper thickness will be ejected, leaving onlyunits of the desired thickness or less thanthe desired thickness in the remaining pile. Then the rollers 9 can be set for a minimum desired thickness control and the pile again run through the apparatus, and the units of desirable thickness would this time be ejected and. the remaining pile would then contain only such units as are of less than the desired thickness. By this practice it is a simplematter to accumulate three piles of units, those over the desired thickness, those of the desired thickness, and those under the desired thickness.

In Figures l, 8 and 9 I have illustrated a modified form of the invention in which a novel means for multiplying gauge roller movement is employed, and in which the ejector unit control means includes a light sensitive circuit. In this form of the invention the opening 48 accommodates a supporting roller 49 mounted in a fixed bracket 50. The roller 49 is opposed by a movable gauge roller 5| carried in the bifurcated lower end 52 of a plunger 53 which extends upwardly through an aperture in the bottom of a cylinder 54 secured at 55 to a stationary cross frame member 55. The open top of the cylinder is closed by a removable cover 51 which completes a hydraulic chamber 58 in which a large, diameter piston member 59 reciprocates, said piston member being secured upon the upper end of the plunger 53. A spring 60, coiled about the plunger 53 between the and the bifurcated head 52, serves toyieldably hold the rollers 49 and 5| in engagement.

The cylinder cover a piston 53 reciprocates. A stem 64 attached to the small piston 53 extends upwardly through an aperture provided therefor in the extension closure or cap 65.

A column of liquid 68 is trapped between the 63 and serves to transmit the movement of the former to the latter. The large piston has fifty times the displacement oi the small piston 53, and. consequently, when the large piston moves 1001 of an inch, the small piston will be moved 0.050 of an inc I A light source 61 is secured as at 98 to the frame member 55, and a light beam is emitted from this source through ward an alined photo electric or other light sensitive-cell l0 likewise supported, as at H, on the frame member 56. A control lever," has its free end normally positioned for obstructing the as shown in Figures 7 and 8 of the drawings. This lever has its other end bifurcated and secured at 13 to the small piston intermediate its ends as at I4 upon a bracket 15 carried The pivot 14 is so positioned as to provide the lever with-long and short end portions so that movement'imparted to the short end will be compounded at the long end. The leverage ratio preferably is three to one. By thus proportioning the pistons and the 51 has an upward extension 3| equipped with a small bore 62 in which a narrow slit 69 to- In Figure 8 of the drawings, I have diagrammatically indicated control circuit connections between the light sensitive unit 10 and the sheet or plate ejector unit solenoid. In this illustration power lines are indirated at I6. Each time a sheet or plate separates the gauge unit rollers a suflicient distance to cause the lever 12 to uncover the light beam slit 69 the relay 11 will be the manner of use, and the advantages of the invention will be readily apparentjo those skilled in the art to which the invention relates.

I claim:

1. In apparatus ofthe character described, the combination of an electrically actuated sheet ejecting means, a pair of control devices adapted to be moved by opposite edge thickness portions of tin sheets moving therepast, and a pair of normally open'control switches one actuable on each said control device, said switches being connected in series'with said ejecting means, and said devices being slightly oflset one from the other in the direction of movement of the sheets so that both devices will simultaneously engage even short sheets being fed therepast whereby said ejecting means will be'actuated to eject a sheet only upon movement of both said control devices occasioned by abnormal conditions ex isting at both edges of said sheet.

2. In apparatus of the character described, electrically actuated tin plate movement controlling means, a pair of stationary rollers engageable with opposite edge portions of fed tin plates, a movable roller opposed to each stationary roller and adapted to be moved apart by engagenient of improper thickness tin plates, a control switch associated with each movable roller, and a pivoted lever supporting each movable roller and having a portion engageable with the associated switch for actuating the same, the relation of each movable roller, pivot and switch engaging portion being such that the movement of displacement of each movable roller is increased manyfold at the respective switch engaging portion, said switches beingnormally open and connected in series with said movement controlling means, and said movable rollers being slightly ofiset one from the other in the direction of movement of the tin plates so that both devices will simultaneously engage even short sheets being fed therepast whereby said ejecting means will be actuated to eject a sheet only upon movement of both said control devices occasioned by abnormal conditions existing at both edges of said sheet.

3. In apparatus of the character described, the combination oi sheet ejecting means, supporting means, levers pivoted on the supporting means for individual operation, laterally spaced apart rollers located one at the lower extremity of each lever rearwardly of the pivotal axis 01' the latter in the direction of movement ofthe sheet, a control device for said sheet ejecting means mounted on said supporting means inoperative by said levers individually, said levers being operable jointly to actuate said control device, said levers being slightly oifset one from the other in the direction of movement or the sheets so that both rollers will simultaneously engage even short sheets being fed therepast whereby said ejecting means will be actuated to eject a sheet only upon operation of both levers occasioned by abnormal conditions existing at both edges of the sheet.

. ALFRED L. KRONQUEST. 

